"Jonouchi rolled a 5, and his Maximum Six was destroyed so easily!" Yugi exclaimed as he watched Caesar cut down Maximum Six. "I don't know if it's just me, but Hoshino feels different when she plays now."
"Different?" Mai, who had seen fewer of Hoshino's duels, couldn't pinpoint the change like Yugi could. "Do you mean she's gotten stronger or weaker?"
"It's hard to say. Hoshino used to duel with a lot of momentum, overcoming any traps the opponent set. But now she feels more ….rational," Yugi said, shaking his head without giving a definitive answer.
"Then she must be stronger!" Mai smiled and shouted to Hoshino, "Go for it, Hoshino! Don't hold back, give Jonouchi a good beating."
"I activate [Haori of Vows] special effect! It becomes an Equip Card for Caesar, raising his ATK and DEF by 300 points!"
[Caesar ATK 1800→2100]
"Damn it, my monster." Jonouchi, once again left with an empty field, frowned. "If I end my turn now and take a direct attack, I'll lose!" He pondered his options, "I just need to survive this turn! I set two cards and end my turn."
"My turn, draw!"
"Before you draw, I activate Quick-Play Spell [Scapegoat]!" Interrupting Hoshino just as she drew her card, Jonouchi eagerly flipped over his face-down card.
[Scapegoat Quick-Play Spell Effect: Special Summon 4 "Sheep Tokens" (Beast-Type/EARTH/Level 1/ATK 0/DEF 0) in Defense Position. These Tokens cannot be Tributed for a Tribute Summon.]
Four soft-looking Sheep Tokens appeared on Jonouchi's field, forming a solid wall.
"Haha, Jonouchi, are you that afraid of being attacked?" Hoshino laughed at Jonouchi's urgent action. "But your scapegoats won't be able to block my attack~"
"I tribute Spartacus to Summon a monster from my hand!" Using the light from Spartacus's release, Hoshino placed a new monster on the table.
"Dance splendidly, light of Rome, I am…"
Another Heroic Spirit, making their presence known with their voice first.
"Nero Claudius!" The blonde girl in a red dress, wielding an oddly shaped long sword, made an entrance worthy of an emperor.
[Heroic Spirit - Nero Claudius★★★★★★ (6-star) Fire][Warrior/Effect ][ATK 2300→2800 DEF 1900→1500 ](Increased by Caesar's effect, DEF decreased.)
"Umu, you summoned me knowing I possess the power to turn the tide, right, Master?" Nero said confidently, with a cheerful smile.
"Yes, Nero, you're very reliable!" After Nero's appearance, Hoshino retrieved [Heroic Spirit - Caligula] from the Graveyard and placed it on the table. "Since Nero Claudius was summoned this turn, Caligula's ④ effect activates!"
[④: If you control [Nero Claudius], you can Special Summon this card from the Graveyard or Deck.]
"Neroooo!!" Caligula's roar echoed on the field, but this time he found the one he cared about.
[Heroic Spirit - Caligula★★★★ (4-star) Dark][Warrior/Effect][ATK 1500→2000 DEF 1200→800]
"Uncle is here too!" Nero remarked nonchalantly, seemingly used to Caligula's roars.
"Hoshino has three monsters on the field, and they all have high attack power!" Honda, looking at the current situation with some tension, began to sweat for Jonouchi. "She can break through three scapegoats in one go."
"It seems like I'm being underestimated, UMU~!" Nero smiled smugly, though Honda couldn't see it from the stage.
"Yes, let them witness the power of Rome!" Matching Nero's aura, Hoshino drew a Spell Card from her hand and slammed it onto the table. "Activate Spell Card [Mana Transfer] from my hand!"
[Mana Transfer Spell Card Effect: You can only activate one per turn. Choose one of the following effects: Add one Field Spell Card with [Heroic Spirit] from your Deck to your hand.]
"I add this Field Spell Card to my hand!" After searching, Hoshino placed the card into the Field Spell Zone, "Golden Theater! Laus St. Claudius!"
"Well done, Master!" Recognizing the familiar card, Nero placed her beautiful white hand on her chest and began to chant, "Open the gates! Raise the curtains for the soloist!"
As Nero's exalted chant echoed, a magnificent golden theater rose, replacing the empty battlefield.
"Magnificent, noble, Rome!" These few lines could barely describe the current scene. Even Pegasus on his throne was amazed by this spectacle.
[Golden Theater! Laus St. Claudius Field Spell Card Effect: ①: When this card is activated, [Nero Claudius] on your field can attack all opponent's monsters once each. ②: Once per turn, you can send one [Heroic Spirit] monster from your hand to the Graveyard, then add one [Nero] monster from your Deck to your hand. ③: [Nero] monsters on the field gain 300 ATK and DEF and are unaffected by your opponent's Spell/Trap effects.]
In the grand Golden Theater, the four small Sheep Tokens appeared incredibly insignificant.
"Hoshino plans to destroy all of Jonouchi's Sheep Tokens in one go!" Yugi, recovering from the shock of the Golden Theater, foresaw the impending disaster, "With the remaining attacks, Jonouchi's Life Points won't hold up!"
Nero drew her crimson sword, Aestus Estus: The Original Flame, from the theater's center, flames swirling around the blade.
"Behold my talent and listen to the thunderous applause!" Nero chanted as she wielded her sword, making it look like the grandest performance in the most splendid theater.
[Heroic Spirit - Nero Claudius ATK2800→3100]
Only in the grand Golden Theater could Nero use her strongest sword technique.
"Then praise me! Praise my Golden Theater! Laus St. Claudius!!"
With Nero's final shout, the intense flames followed the sword's path, exploding onto Jonouchi's field.
—Clap, Clap, Clap,
"What a beautiful attack, what a comeliness of a scene!" Pegasus, sitting on his throne, couldn't help but clap in admiration at the magnificent sight before him. "At this moment, this truly can be called Rome!"
"Hoshino girl, I so dearly want to peer into your mind, to know the origins and secrets of your cards." Struggling to control the urge driven by the Millennium Eye, Pegasus gritted his teeth and persevered. "But as a gentleman, it would be incredibly rude to invade a lady's mind without an invitation. At least, at least wait until the duel..."
The bombardment of the Original Flame swept across Jonouchi's field, obliterating all four Scapegoat tokens without exception.
"We won! Well done, Your Majesty!" Watching the flames incinerate the Scapegoats to a crisp, Hoshino knew there were no monsters left on Jonouchi's field to stop her attack.
"Umu~, …Master, something feels off!" As the flames subsided, a hint of a nervous smile appeared on Nero's usually confident face. "My sword seems to be blocked by someone."
As the flames dissipated, the figure hidden within, blocking Nero's attack, was revealed. It was a swordsman dressed in red, just like Nero.
"Caesar, you traitor!" Hoshino cursed, recognizing the charred, curly-haired figure on the other side as none other than Caesar, who had been burned by the Original Flame.
Looking at Caesar's bulky figure, holding the golden sword and blocking Nero's attack, Hoshino scolded, "I never expected someone with such a trustworthy appearance to betray the revolution today!"
"I didn't want to either, Master. My body moved on its own!" Caesar's character wouldn't willingly cross such a long distance from Hoshino's field to Jonouchi's.
"Phew, good thing I had a backup plan. Dueling against you, Hoshino always keeps me on edge!" Jonouchi sighed with relief, instinctively wiping his forehead even though the flames were just holograms. "Activate my second face-down trap card, [Magical Arm Shield]!"
[Magical Arm Shield Trap Card Effect: When an opponent's monster declares an attack, if you control a monster, you can target one face-up monster your opponent controls other than the attacking monster. Take control of that target until the end of the Battle Phase, and if you do, it becomes the attack target, and you proceed to damage calculation.]
"Hoshino, I'm taking control of your [Heroic Spirit - Caesar] to block your attack!" With his plan succeeding, Jonouchi's previously tense demeanor relaxed. "Since Caesar left your field, your other two monsters' attack power has decreased!"
[Heroic Spirit - Nero Claudius ATK 3100→2600]
[Heroic Spirit - Caligula ATK 2000→1500]
"Even with such a lower attack power, to block my attack, he truly is Caesar!" Nero praised, struggling to hold the Original Flame.
"He's not that determined. Because of [Haori of Vows] special effect, the equipped monster can't be destroyed by battle once per turn!" Hoshino commented, analyzing the situation. Even though Caesar was controlled by the opponent, it was only for one turn, but continuing the attack now seemed unreasonable.
Jonouchi Katsuya LP 3500→3000
Although Caesar couldn't be destroyed, the damage still counted.
"Jonouchi, you're quite tenacious." Hoshino sighed, looking at Jonouchi with some resentment. "But with only one card left in your hand, making a comeback should be difficult. I set one card and end my turn."
...
"Damn, am I going to lose..." Jonouchi muttered, looking at his hand and field. Since the turn ended, Caesar returned to Hoshino's control, leaving Jonouchi's field empty again. With only one useless spell card in his hand, Jonouchi felt helpless in this desperate situation. "For someone like me, beating Hoshino is just too hard."
"Shizuka, your brother might lose..." Losing the courage to draw a card, Jonouchi silently opened the locket around his neck containing his sister Shizuka's photo.
"Jonouchi! You coward!" Sensing Jonouchi's loss of will to fight, Honda on the stage shouted angrily, "If you give up now, how can you face your sister? At least fight to the very end!"
"Fight to the end? Can anyone turn the tide in such a desperate situation?" Honda's encouragement slightly rekindled Jonouchi's fighting spirit, but the cold reality still loomed over him.
"Hmm? No, wait. The person who often turns the tide in desperate situations is right in front of me!" Jonouchi suddenly realized, looking at Hoshino. He had witnessed many of Hoshino's comebacks from dire situations.
"Heh, right. All you need to turn the tide is persistence!" Jonouchi, having an epiphany, decided to make one last stand. "Thanks, Honda, Hoshino!"
"Thank me? For what?" Hoshino, utterly bewildered by Jonouchi's sudden gratitude, was full of questions.
"My turn, draw!" Despite his confident words, Jonouchi was a bit nervous about this possibly final draw of his Duelist Kingdom journey.
However...
"My deck, it's responding to my hopes!"
"Oh no!" Hearing Jonouchi's words, Hoshino sensed trouble. "He's going to draw a game-changer!"
"From my hand, I activate the Spell Card [Graceful Charity]!" Jonouchi slapped the freshly drawn card onto the table and drew three more cards.
[Graceful Charity Spell Card Effect: Draw 3 cards, then discard 2 cards.]
"Finally, I can discard this useless card." Jonouchi, ready to discard, suddenly paused. "Wait, this spell card might be useful now!"
"I discard two monster cards and activate the Continuous Spell Card [Card of Safe Return]!" Instead of discarding the spell card he originally considered useless, Jonouchi played it.
[Card of Safe Return Continuous Spell Card Effect: Each time a monster is Special Summoned from your Graveyard, draw 3 cards.] (Anime Effect)(Btw it's also a banned card)
"This isn't over yet!" Pushing beyond his limits, Jonouchi demonstrated his determination. "Activate my last spell card from my hand, [Silent Doom]!"
[Silent Doom Spell Card Effect: Target 1 Normal Monster in your Graveyard; Special Summon it in Defense Position. It cannot attack.]
"I Special Summon the Normal Monster [Red-Eyes Black Dragon] from my Graveyard in Defense Position!"
"Red-Eyes Black Dragon? When did that happen?!" Hoshino clicked her tongue in realization, "It must have been discarded with Graceful Charity. Jonouchi, you have a knack for comebacks. But in this situation, a single [Red-Eyes Black Dragon] won't be much help."
[Red-Eyes Black Dragon★★★★★★★ (7-star) Dark][Dragon][ATK 2400 DEF 2000]
Due to [Silent Doom]'s effect, the summoned Red-Eyes Black Dragon could only be in Defense Position, so its aura was weaker than usual.
"Hoshino, didn't you tell me that the Black Dragon symbolizes potential?" Jonouchi, now having no cards left in his hand, declared, "Now I'll test that potential!"
"Activate the effect of [Card of Safe Return]. Since Red-Eyes Black Dragon was Special Summoned from the Graveyard, I draw 3 cards!" Jonouchi excitedly reached for his deck, no longer tense like before. "Let's see what potential the Black Dragon brings me!"
"Alright!" With more dramatic flair than ever, Jonouchi's face lit up. "From my hand, I activate the Spell Card [Monster Reborn]!"
"(Banned card trio!) You're too much!" Hoshino, feeling helpless, couldn't help but complain.
(*****)
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